Folding leg structure



Nov. 6, 1962 D. KAMENSTEIN ETAL 3,062,603

FOLDING LEG STRUCTURE 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 6, 1961 INVENTORS. DAVID KAMENSTEIN GEORGE C. TERRY F TH EIR ATTORNEY.

FIG. 2

Nov. 6, 1962 D. KAMENSTEIN ETAL FOLDING LEG STRUCTURE 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 6, 1961 INVENTORS. DAVID KAMENSTEIN GEORG C.TERRY BY X THEIR ATTORNEY.

Nov. 6, 1962 D. KAMENSTEIN ETAL 3,062,603

FOLDING LEG STRUCTURE Filed March 6, 1961 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG. 6

INVENTORS. DAVID KAMENSTEIN GEORGE C. TERRY THEIR ATTORNEY Nov. 6, 1962 D. KAMENSTEIN ETAL FOLDING LEG STRUCTURE 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed March 6, 1961 FIG. 8

INVENTORS. DAVID KAMENSTEIN GEORGE C. TERRY THEIR ATTORNEY.

1962 D. KAMENSTEIN ETAL 3,

FOLDING LEG STRUCTURE Filed March 6, 1961 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTORS. DAVID KAMENSTEIN GEORGE C. TERRY THEIR ATTORNEY.

Nov. 6, 1962 D. KAMENSTEIN ETAL 3,06 ,603

FOLDING LEG STRUCTURE Filed March a, 1961 6 sheets-sheet e INVENTORS. DAVID KAMENSTEIN GEORGE C. TERRY THEIR ATTORNEY.

United States This invention relates to folding leg structure and relates more particularly to a novel cross-legged support for table tops, charcoal grills, and other household articles wherein folding of the leg elements is easily and automatically achieved by the simple act of raising one edge of the table top and the legs fold neatly below the table top and occupy very little more space than said latter member.

An important object of the invention is to provide a folding leg structure consisting essentially of two frames hinged together between their ends to form a crosslegged support but wherein one of the frames is rigid throughout its length and the other has a pivoted upper section which is rigid, and generally aligned with the lower section when in table-supporting position, but which has a sort of knee action in automatically folding over said lower section when the table top is raised as aforesaid, due to a novel configuration of folding elements and weight distribution of the respective parts.

Another object of the invention is to provide a crosslegged support for table tops and the like wherein the simple expedient of raising one edge of the table top causes the leg elements to fold beneath said top, to allow the structure to be hung up from a hook and thus occupy little space, and raising the opposite edge of the top causes the leg element to automatically unfold into table top supporting position.

The cross-legged supporting structure of the present invention is particularly useful for charcoal grills having an iron bowl and which must be folded and put away when not in use and which must provide a rigid and reliable support during the cooking operation. The folding leg elements of the present invention comprise two intersecting frames which are normally diagonally disposed and which are pivoted at the point of intersection and each one formed of rugged tubular stock or which are stamped out from sheet metal. One of the frames is formed in two hinged sections wherein the upper hinged section automatically starts upward movement and the lower end of the lower hinged section starts downward as the other leg element is raised by raising the horizontal top member on the side on which the latter is pivoted. The lower end of the lower hinged section is weighted with wheels which also serve to move the structure over the floor and the hinge axis is not aligned with the tubular leg section but is below the same. Immediately upon raising said side there is a breaking action caused by the hinge axis location and the weight of the wheels at the lower end.

As the folding action of both elements continue the upper section of the hinged leg element underlies and contacts the bottom of the bowl, which acts as a stop, while the lower section moves through an arc, relative to the upper section of almost 180 degrees and when the parts come to rest the first leg element and the upper and lower section of the second leg element, as well as the top member itself, lie in pretty much the same plane so that they have a combined thickness not materially greater than a folded card table.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that an important object of the invention is to provide a leg structure which can be folded by the mere act of raising the supported device upwardly as though one were going to hang it on the wall. In the case of a charcoal grill the bowl is provided with a bail-type, fixed handle, which is used for hanging it up. The folding leg structure of the present atent invention is thus distinguished from the common variety of folding legs where the legs must be individually manipulated after various types of annoying locks and latches, which have a tendency to rust or freeze, have been released.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a leg structure embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation with the lower ends of the legs broken away;

FIG. 3 is a similar side elevation but showing the leg parts in fully collapsed or folded position; the view being taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 4 is a section taken on line 4--4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a broken elevation of the upper and lower leg sections of the second leg structure and showing the pivot connecting means;

FIG. 6' is a broken section taken on line 66 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a bottom plan view of the fully folded structure, the view being taken on line 77 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 8 is a side elevation showing a modified form of the invention;

FIG. 9 is a section taken on line 9--9 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a broken elevation taken on line 1010 of FIG. 8;

*FIG. 11 is front elevation of the leg structure;

FIG. 12 is a plan view showing the parts in fully folded relation;

FIG. 13 is a side elevation thereof.

The invention is shown in connection with a brazier type of charcoal grill having a circular shallow bowl 10 with an annular rim 11 and a handle structure 12 which is useful in moving the grill from place to place.

The improved supporting structure has first and second leg elements or frames and since a three-legged support is generally preferred to a four-legged support, one only of said elements has two legs and in the instance shown it is the second element earlier referred to which has a knee action formed by a pivot which joins upper and lower leg sections together. This arrangement may, of course, be reversed and both leg elements may have two legs or the first element may comprise a pair and the second only one leg.

In the embodiment illustrated the first leg element, usually of tubular construction, has a generally S-shaped contour with a lower leg section 14 joined through a curved portion to a relatively long intermediate section 16, and an upper section 18 lying at an angle of about 30-40 to the middle section. This upper section is pivoted at 19 to a bracket 20 fast on the bottom of the bowl. The lower section may have a non-slip cap 21.

The second leg element has two legs of identical construction each of which is formed with an upper section 22 and a lower section 24 pivoted together by means of a. sheet metal hinge 25 formed in two portions joined together by a pivot pin 26 and formed on the side opposite the pivot pin with meeting shoulders 28 which limit further rotation therebetween when the straight line position of FIG. 2 has been reached.

The upper leg sections are pivoted at 29 to the side of the bowl opposite pivot 19 by means of brackets 30, which, in case of a charcoal grill, are spaced apart about 8 inches. A pivot rod 31 passes through the upper end of intermediate section 16 of the first leg element and thence at its ends through the upper end portions of lower leg section 24. These lower leg sections are substantially parallel at their upper ends and have a bend 32 below pivot 31 causing them to diverge outwardly to assume an inverted V-contour and are flattened at their lower ends to receive a shaft 34 with wheels 35 secured at its ends. Conventional steel disc, rubber tired wheels are shown and the wheels and the shaft 34, combined with the fact that the lower leg sections 24 are substantially two times the length of section 22, cause the automatic knee action earlier mentioned. The first leg element 16 is maintained in its central position relative to spaced legs 24 by means of angle brackets 36 carried on the shaft 31 at one end and secured by rivets 37 at their upper ends to the central leg. In actual practice, pivot pin 31 may have sleeves 39 (FIG. 6) which enhance the spacing function.

The bowl is equipped with the usual grid 40 with means 41-42 for raising and lowering it to an adjusted, fixed position.

When the parts are in the folded position of FIG. 3, it may be hanging on a wall hook from handle 12 or the open face of the bowl may simply be resting against the wall and the entire structure supported on the single central leg 141618. This leg projects below the wheels when the parts are in folded position. To set it up to the position of FIG. 1 it is simply necessary to raise the side of the bowl opposite to handle 12 which imparts straightening action to the two parts of the legs 2224 which during this movement have a sort of toggle action and when they pass some center position they spring to the fully open position of FIG. 1. If the bowl is raised to horizontal position and the parts do not readily fall into extended position a slight shaking motion will cause them to drop. They are rigidly maintained in this position since the shoulders 28 on the hanger 27 do not permit this straightening action to continue beyond their aligned positions of FIG. 2 and they are maintained against reverse rotation by the weight of the bowl which maintains the cross-legged structure in open position. Closing or folding action is simply achieved by merely lifting up handle 12 and the parts follow, due to gravity, to the folded position of FIG. 3, because the combined weight of all parts of the lower leg section 24 below pivot element 31 is considerably greater than the parts above the pivot. If the bowl is raised from the FIG. 1 position and rolled over forward to the right, so that as handle 12 touches the floor it automatically assumes the folded position of FIG. 3.

In the modified arrangement of FIGS. 8-13, the first leg element 4446-48 may be substantially identical with that of the first embodiment with said leg pivoted at 50 in a bracket 51 on the lower face of bowl The second leg element is ofdiflerent construction, however, in that both upper and lower sections may be stamped from sheet metal.

In the first form of FIGS. 1-7 the upper section was made from two short lengths of tubing while in the modified form it is essentially a frame stamped in a single piece from sheet metal and is of generally U-shape with a base section 54, shown best in FIG. 11, and opposed diverging arms 56 formed with flanges 58 along opposed edges, which flanges are secured at their upper ends by pivots 59 to brackets 60 secured on the lower surface of bowl 10'.

The lower leg section is also a frame stamped out from a single piece of sheet metal and is of inverted V-shape with the opposed leg portions 61 diverging outwardly and being of channeled construction with side flanges 62 as shown in FIG. 9.

At its upper end the frame has a downwardly projecting tongue section 64 and this section has a depressed central section 66 with inclined walls 68 on each side of the central section, all for the purpose of adding structural strength to the upper end of the frame. The lower end of this tongue has opposed flanges '70 (FIG. 10) through which a pivot pin 71 passes, the pin also passing through tubular leg 46 and through flanges 62 of channeled legs 61.

For retaining the leg in its central position and also 4- for adding structural strength at this pivot juncture a plate 73 of generally triangular shape is secured by screws 74 to leg 46, said plate having flanges 76 through which the pivot pin passes. Lower frame 6166 is pivoted at to the upper frame which is provided with offset ears 77 to receive these pivots.

When the parts are in table top supporting position and lower frame section 6164 is viewed from above, looking downwardly, the raised central portion 66 is on the bot tom and contacts cross-piece 54 of the upper frame section, which latter acts as a stop, preventing further downward travel, This is the position of FIG. 8 where the upper and lower frame sections have been rotated in a generally downward direction to the position where these frames lie in the same plane. When they are rotated in the opposite direction to the folded position of FIG. 13 the recess formed on the side opposite raised section 66 receives leg 46 therein. Legs 61 have a shaft 78 connecting their lower ends and wheel 80 are mounted at the end of the shaft.

While there have been described herein what are at present considered preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that many modifications and changes may be made therein without departing from the essence of the invention. It is therefore to be understood that the exemplary embodiments are illustrative and not restrictive of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims, and that all modifications that come within the meaning and ranges of equivalency of the claims are intended to be included therein.

What we claim is:

The combination with a table top or the like, of a threepoint folding support therefor and comprising first and second leg elements pivoted at their upper ends on first and second opposed sides of the top, respectively, and provided with an interconnecting pivot passing through the leg elements between their ends to form a cross-legged support, said first leg element being a single leg unit forming one point of the support and being rigid throughout its length, the second leg element comprising two members of similar configuration and which are spaced apart, and formed with normally aligned upper and lower sections which are joined by hinges located above the interconnecting pivot, the spaced members forming the lower section being substantially two times the length of the upper section and the lower portions of said members diverging outwardly below the pivot, the upper section swinging upwardly while the lower end of the lower section swings downwardly on the interconnecting pivot during folding movement of the leg elements to underlie the table top, wheels at the lower ends of the diverging leg members forming the two remaining points of support, a shaft on which the wheels are mounted extending between said lower ends, the combined weight of the two members forming the hinged lower section below the interconnecting pivot, and the wheels and shaft cairied thereby, being suflicient to cause automatic movement of the legs toward folded position when the first side of the table top is raised, and stop means between the frame sections to limit downward movement of their meeting ends while the leg elements are in top-supporting position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,060,367 Flagstad Nov. 10, 1936 2,601,357 Allbritton June 24, 1952 2,739,861 Mahr Mar. 27, 1956 2,770,467 Mowry Nov. 13, 1956 2,787,996 Rumsey Apr. 9, 1957 2,842,044 Kirk July 8, 1958 2,932,479 Leach Apr. 12, 1960 

